Ciro Cattuto is an Italian physicist and complexity scientist whose work explores the intricate relationships between human behavior and digital technologies. Since 2008, he has served as Scientific Director of the ISI Foundation, based in Turin, Italy. He is also the founder and principal investigator of the Sociopatterns Collaboration. Throughout his career, Cattuto has held a range of influential research, fellowship, advisory, and board positions in Italy, the United States, and Japan.
In this thought-provoking InterDialogue, we trace Cattuto’s intellectual journey from theoretical solid-state physics into complex systems science, a multicultural path that unfolded across three continents. We also discuss his contributions to data science and complex network research, including his work on some of the first digital social networks. We then examine what it means to conduct interdisciplinary research and how such collaborations can be cultivated more effectively.
Cattuto also draws on his experience at the intersection of complex networks and epidemiology as a case of interdisciplinary bridge-building in practice. We further discuss the research priorities and guiding principles of the ISI Foundation, especially in relation to its current focus on computational social science and opportunities for policy impact. Finally, we reflect on both the promise and the profound challenges associated with the growing integration of artificial intelligence into scientific research and society more broadly.
Timestamps
1:41 – Cattuto’s background and trajectory in complex systems science
9:19 – ISI as a hub of European complex systems science
11:46 – Interdisciplinary collaborations at ISI
14:38 – Interdisciplinarity and institutional funding frameworks
16:52 – Interdisciplinarity across generational, disciplinary, and national boundaries
19:36 – Computational social science and other interdisciplinary research areas at ISI
24:06 – Translating research into policy and governance
25:26 – Social science contributions to AI and computational research
27:36 – Studying complex systems using AI
29:59 – Challenges for AI researchers
31:50 – Cattuto’s concerns about AI
